Jan. 13, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - Endicott College junior guard Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine) scored a career-high 32 points as the Gulls routed Nichols College, 82-62, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference men's basketball game on Tuesday night in Beverly, Mass. The win evens Endicott's record at 6-6 overall and moves the Blue and Green to 2-0 in TCCC play. Nichols slips to 6-8 and 1-1 in conference action.
Endicott never trailed in Tuesday night's 20 point win. The Gulls made a quick statement out of the gate as Whitelaw buried back-to-back three pointers to open the contest, sparking a 12-0 run in the opening 3:33. Endicott would push the lead to as many as 16 in the opening half as Chris Galbraith (Lowell, Mass.) powered in a hard fought two points in the paint to give EC a 32-16 lead.
Nichols hung around late in the frame as the visitors were able to cut it to nine heading into the intermission. Bryan Riley (West Boylston, Mass.) knocked down a three-ball with less than a minute left in the half to make it 34-27; however Whitelaw answered on the other end with a successful jumper to send the hosts into the break with a 36-27 advantage.
Nichols' Chris Paquin (Barre, Mass.) helped lead the Bison out of the locker room as he dialed in from behind the arc to cap off a 9-4 spurt to open the second stanza. The visitors would cut the lead to six on two occasions, the second coming off a free throw from Ryan Wilcox (West Granby, Conn.). Endicott answered the challenge as the Gulls shattered any comeback thoughts with a dominating 10-0 run that featured another pair of Whitelaw treys.
The Gulls led by as many as 25 points down the stretch, eventually taking the 82-62 victory. Graham Whitelaw hit six three-pointers on the night, contributing to his career-high 32 points. The Gulls' junior shot 10-of-18 and 6-of-10 from three-point territory. Chris Galbraith and Justin Martin (Cromwell, Conn.) also reached double-figures, as Galbraith had 14 points and seven rebounds while Martin had 10 points and six boards. Bobby Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) filled the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win.
Nichols was led by John Costello's (Tolland, Conn.) 15 points and six rebounds. Ryan Wilcox was the only other Bison to reach double-figures as he had 13 points and two blocks in the setback.
Endicott out-rebounded Nichols 45-35, and 17-9 on the offensive end. The Gulls held the Bison to just 18 field goals on the night.
Endicott looks to extend its winning streak to three games on Thursday as the Gulls step out of conference play to face Emerson. Nichols hopes to rebound on Saturday with a TCCC road contest against New England College.
